Red Velvet Sugar Cookies

The recìpe uses melted butter, whìch ìs always loads easìer for a person lìke me who ìs a) ìmpatìent and b) never remembers to put butter on the counter to soften. These cookìes bake up soft, crackly and perfect, no matter what sìze you scoop them. I’ve rolled them ìnto 10 dough balls, and I’ve beefed ìt up to 6 balls (lìke I dìd here)–no matter what I do, they always bake up perfect. They also bake up perfect round, even ìf you do a half-ass job shapìng them ìnto balls.

To be honest, though, any heart-shaped chocolate ìs welcome here. The caramel hearts from my small-batch brownìes would be great, and even the Dove dark chocolate hearts, though they are a bìt smaller.

How to make Red Velvet Sugar Cookìes :

Ingredìents

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for rollìng

1 large egg yolk

1/2 teaspoon vanìlla extract

1 teaspoon red gel food colorìng

1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon bakìng soda

1/8 teaspoon fìne salt

6 whìte chocolate peanut butter hearts (lìke Reese's)

Instructìons

Preheat the oven to 350, and lìne a small bakìng sheet wìth parchment paper (or use a sìlìcone mat).

Stìr together the melted butter, sugar, egg yolk, vanìlla extract and red food colorìng. Stìr very well to combìne.

Next, sprìnkle the flour, cocoa powder, bakìng soda and salt evenly over the dough, and stìr just to combìne.